Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[Lexicon]

You have done wonderful with her. How does she stand? Does she stand upright?

She does sometimes, but not always. She does a lot of sparring with the others and of course then is upright and raises her hackles and gives this little yell. My husband says that it's her battle cry!

Well, I think that I will know before too long either way.

 

[Ponypoor]

That's the drawback of these rainbow egg layer collections, I don't know her breed. My latest thought was possibly an Olive Egger based on Cream Legbar crossed with a dark egg laying breed. They have Cuckoo Marans and Welsummers, so those are possibilities. Then again, she doesn't have a crest, so maybe not.

She is lovely and I am really invested in her survival as I put a lot of effort into getting her to eat and drink and survive as a tiny chick when she struggled out of the gate.

She almost looks like a barred pattern.

 

[rural mouse]

More photos of Viola:
View attachment 3567527

View attachment 3567528

She is seven weeks old. Today I saw her flap her wings vigorously and make an odd squeak. Twice I heard what I thought was a chick scream/squawk and thought maybe Clara scared or pecked them, but now I am wondering if this could be tiny chick crow attempts? Or maybe it is my imagination. The breeder did say that it was very rare for them to mix up cockerels.

There are also tiny spur points starting. My hens have these as well, but I haven't seen this on any of the other chicks.

Viola is a cockerel. At 7 weeks, the comb and wattle size is beyond doubt. The squeak could indeed be early crowing attempts (frequently sound like gurgled squeak). Spurs usually don't start until 6 months plus. That said, the spur knobs could be more noticeable due to the usually larger size of cockerel/rooster legs.

Good luck with the husband re: having a rooster. He's a good looking little fellow, and you have older ladies to help thump him while he's young and learning.

 

[Ponypoor]

She does sometimes, but not always. She does a lot of sparring with the others and of course then is upright and raises her hackles and gives this little yell. My husband says that it's her battle cry!

Well, I think that I will know before too long either way.

I will have to say cockerel, that comb and wattles are very pronounced.

 

[Lexicon]

She almost looks like a barred pattern.

This is her early on.

 

[BY Bob]

She does sometimes, but not always. She does a lot of sparring with the others and of course then is upright and raises her hackles and gives this little yell. My husband says that it's her battle cry!

Well, I think that I will know before too long either way.

The truth eventually becomes apparent. Best of luck.

 

[BY Bob]

This is her early on.
View attachment 3567552

View attachment 3567553

Such a cutie!

 

[rural mouse]

Zulu popped wattles this evening. I'm up to 2 boys in this group

He's still trying to keep them under wraps, but when I handled each, they were unmistakable. Who stays and who doesn't remains to be seen. Meanwhile I'll enjoy every moment of their antics and decide when I'm forced to.

 

[Lexicon]

Viola is a cockerel. At 7 weeks, the comb and wattle size is beyond doubt. The squeak could indeed be early crowing attempts (frequently sound like gurgled squeak). Spurs usually don't start until 6 months plus. That said, the spur knobs could be more noticeable due to the usually larger size of cockerel/rooster legs.

Good luck with the husband re: having a rooster. He's a good looking little fellow, and you have older ladies to help thump him while he's young and learning.

Thanks for your response. I will wait a bit more before telling my husband!

Should I do anything differently regarding my interactions with Viola? He (seems weird to type that) is not my friendliest chick, but does hop up on my lap on occasion. I don't generally pick up my chicks, but do let them climb on me if they want. Should I discourage this with Viola?

 

[rural mouse]

Thanks for your response. I will wait a bit more before telling my husband!

Should I do anything differently regarding my interactions with Viola? He (seems weird to type that) is not my friendliest chick, but does hop up on my lap on occasion. I don't generally pick up my chicks, but do let them climb on me if they want. Should I discourage this with Viola?

I try to handle chicks so that I can handle adults when necessary without traumatizing them. Slide hand in under them to lift rather than grab from above. I still try to hold wings due to their flapping (instinct).

What I do NOT do is pet their backs. As adults the hens crouch for the rooster to mate them. When humans pet their backs, they frequently crouch too. Doing so in front of roosters is still viewed as mating their hens, leading them into attempting to defend their girls from you the interloping rooster.

Instead, I slide a hand in to do a crop/breast rub. Not viewed as mating behavior, so not threatening. I also try to toss food (scratch, treats, etc) towards the roosters first. The ladies then run towards him for the goodies. He gets to tidbit and gain status as a good food finder. They all know I bring out food and come running, but by sending it his way first, he's still providing. I also give to the higher status girls first (of whomever is around me). I do try to ration it and get some to everyone, but who gets first is important to them.

As long as he's little, I'd give to the higher ranked adults first, then the middle, then the babies. You will hear him start attempting to call the ladies over. When the adults start investigating his calls for tasty treats, then it's time to start passing them his way first (raising his status with the adults).

Hector is tidbitting in this video

And again here